Cisco called Wells and Wells called Caitlin and Caitlin called Joe and Joe called Iris and basically everyone called Barry but Barry wasn't picking up his phone so the chain ended with Iris, who promptly left a date with Eddie that was sort of wrapping up anyway and quickly made her way to Barry's apartment.

The first time she knocked on the door, he ignored her. The second time she heard footsteps, knew he was checking through the peep hole, and then heard footsteps walking away again.

"Barry, I know you're there, open the door," she said, knocking again.

"I'm busy."

"My dad called – I know what happened."

"I don't want to talk."

"Barry, open up the door." There was no answer, and she banged on it again. "Barry, if you don't open this door I will call my dad and have him break it down for me."

The door opened.

Iris walked inside, but Barry was already walking away, falling onto the couch where he had apparently been laying previously, grabbing a blanket and pulling it over him.

Iris carefully surveyed the one fallen chair, which lay on its side in the kitchen, the pillow lying against the far wall, and shoes which were lying in the middle of the walkway from the door. She carefully moved around them and sat down on the edge of the couch.

"Barry."

"I don't want to talk."

She placed her hand on his knee, rubbing softly. He was half lying down, his face between the couch cushion and a pillow, eyes closed.

"They said you got hurt."

Barry didn't say anything.

"Cut your stomach on some rusty metal."

Nothing.

"Had to get a tetanus shot."

"I don't want to talk about it, Iris."

"You really shouldn't, you know, run away from your doctors."

"They're not my doctors."

"You just told me two days ago –"

"They didn't wait."

"What?"

"They didn't wait – they just did it – she just –" His voice choked off.

"She surprised you?"

He didn't say anything.

"She's your friend you know, she's just trying to help."

"It hurt."

"It's a shot, Barry."

"I couldn't breathe."

"You can breathe fine. It just felt like you couldn't."

Barry sat up straight, his body shaking, suddenly looking right at her. "I can't do this," he said, shaking his head, his eyes glued to hers, red and bloodshot, his hair a mess, "I can't go if they – I just – I needed them to wait – I needed her to wait and she – she just –"

"Shh, Barry," Iris said, and Barry didn't know how, but she was hugging him and he couldn't breathe and he was still so scared and he just wanted to fade into that embrace, to disappear. "It's going to be fine," she said, "She – Caitlin? Caitlin was just trying to help – she probably thought it would be easier for you if she just got it over with. We'll talk to them, OK? You can tell her that you can't do it that way – that it has to be slow, OK?"

"I – I don't want to go back."

"Well, you don't have to go anywhere right now, OK? Just relax." Iris leaned back again, letting him go, and the expression on his face, pained and dreading, almost made her cave. "I'm going to call Eddie, and he's going to pick me up some muffins, and I'll have him drop them off, and we are going to sit here and watch some movies, alright?"

Barry squeezed his eyes shut, "I don't want him –"

"I won't say anything," Iris said, "Just tell him you're having a bad day."

But Barry had his head in his hands now. "I have to go in to work –"

"I will call my dad."

"But –"

"No – trust me – after getting a frantic call from Caitlin, I'm pretty sure he'll let you have the day off."

Barry just looked up, exhausted and miserable, looking at Iris, her eyes wide and expectant, her full attention on him. "Thanks, Iris."

"No."

"Barry –"

"I'm not going."

"They have to look at the cut, Barry."

"The cut is fine. Tell them I looked at it. It's fine."

Barry walked around the table in the kitchen of his apartment, forcefully pulling out dishes and a frying pan, ignoring Iris.

"I know yesterday was really rough, Barry, but they have to see you. They need to make sure everything is OK."

Barry had seventeen missed calls on his phone and apparently they had picked up on the fact that that was not going to work, because Iris showed up at half past eight knocking on his door.

"I'm not going in. I'm staying home and I'm cooking breakfast and I'm going to read the new science magazine and then I'm going to sleep for like three years."

Iris grabbed his arm, and he spun around. She was almost glaring at him, but not quite, her face stone and he had just enough time to think 'oh no' before she started to talk.

"You do remember that you were in a coma for nine months, right."

"Yes, Iris, but –"

"And I waited, for nine months, for you to wake up. I waited, for nine months, knowing you might not wake up. And now you are, and it's a miracle, and I'm not going to let you make yourself sick again. You're too smart to avoid your doctors, and you mean too much to me for me to just sit by and what you get hurt again."

Barry cringed, looking down at his shoes. "You know it's not like that – I don't mean to hurt anyone, especially you –"

"I know. Now get your shoes on, grab a breakfast bar, and let's go to Star Labs."

Barry met her eyes again, a desperate look on his face, pleading.

"No," she said, "That works on Joe, not me, remember."

Barry grumbled and went to get his shoes.

Ten minutes later they were on a bus and Barry was tapping his foot eccentrically and feeling like he was going to throw up. His hands were clenched to fists and he already felt like he couldn't breathe.

"It'll be OK," Iris said, putting her hand over his, rubbing her thumb across his knuckles. "I won't let them do anything without telling you first, I promise."

Barry figured he should probably be saying something about how he didn't want her over there since she would inadvertently find out that the cut was not actually a cut, but severe frostbite, but to be completely honest the idea of going in without her was starting to terrify him. He knew that Caitlin and Cisco were trying to help, but he couldn't deal with them in a medical setting. He was barely making it through this with Iris without jumping out the nearest window; he didn't think he could do it on his own.

By the time they got there Iris barely got him off the bus and when they were on the grounds, the door in sight, he froze.

"Iris, I can't," he said, panic bubbling up in his voice. He started backing away.

She looped her arm through his. "Yes you can, come on. I'm right here with you."

She didn't say anything as he started to hyperventilate, just led him calmly through the door and up the elevator.

When they finally entered the room, Cisco and Caitlin were waiting for him, Dr. Wells a little ways off. Cisco went straight towards him while Caitlin walked off with Iris like it was rehearsed. Cisco walked across the room with him 'just to check some things out' while Caitlin distracted Iris.

"Let me see it," Cisco said, gesturing to Barry, positioning himself so that Iris's view across the room would be blocked.

Barry lifted up his shirt. It still hadn't healed entirely, even with his cell regeneration. There was dead tissue that clung to the healthy skin, and although the whole thing looked much better than it had before, there was still a considerable wound.

"She can't see it," Barry said.

"I got it, I'll tell her –"

"I need her to stay."

"You need her to stay?"

Barry swallowed and nodded. "Yes."

Cisco only hesitated a moment before switching gears. "OK, I'll take care of it – I got it, go back over to Caitlin, tell her I'm setting up."

Cisco disappeared and Barry walked back over to where Iris and Caitlin were talking. Dr. Wells had gone with Cisco.

"Barry," Iris said as soon as he reached them, placing a hand on his arm, "I just told Caitlin that you need things to go a little slower."

"I'm so sorry, Barry," Caitlin said, "I thought if I –"

"It's OK, Caitlin," Barry said, "I know."

"I should have asked, I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Barry tried to smile, but he couldn't stop looking around, his eyes flitting from one instrument to the next.

"Where's Cisco?"

"He's uh, setting up."

Her eyes widened. "Oh."

If Iris noticed the odd change in her demeanor, she didn't say anything. They kept talking for a few minutes until Cisco came back, accompanied by Dr. Wells, and wheeling an odd contraption in through the doors.

It was a curtain rack suspended by what appeared to be two mobile IV stands and a black sheet draped over it. He wheeled it over to the bed and smiled wide, holding out his hands.

Iris turned her head sharply to Barry. "Is this some kind of weird tech thing I've never heard about?"

Caitlin answered for him. "No, that's a shower rod." She walked quickly over to him.

"Alright," Cisco said. "Barry," he turned to him, "You, can lay down here." He gestured to the bed. Then he dragged a folding chair over, "And Iris, you can sit right here. And we," he ran around to the other side of the bed, pushing the curtain contraption closer, "Will do everything over here. You don't have to look at it or see anything."

"But you'll still –" Barry started.

"We'll still tell you everything we're doing," Caitlin said quickly, "You just won't have to look at it."

Barry's stomach turned. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of not being able to see what they were doing, but he looked at Iris and understood what Cisco was doing. He just nodded, braced himself, and got into the bed before he lost his nerve. Iris sat down and soon he was gripping her hand until his knuckles turned white, looking at Cisco and Caitlin over the curtain. The pole went right across his shoulder and the sheet fell against his stomach and then between his legs, blocking off the right side of his body for Caitlin and Cisco to work on.

"The first thing we're going to do," Caitlin said, "Is give you a local anesthetic."

"That means a shot," Cisco said.

"Cisco!"

"Sorry," Cisco said, "I mean, it's really small, I promise. I'm not just saying that – it's small and it's just to numb the area so we can work."

Barry moved his free hand, shaking, over his stomach, where his shirt was lifted up. His breathing hitched and he turned to Iris, eyes screaming.

"It's OK," she said calmly, still smiling.

On the other side he felt Caitlin gently lift his hand and move it to the side. Cisco had his hand on his shoulder.

"Deep breaths, Barry," Wells said.

"Are you ready?" Caitlin said.

"No," he said.

"Barry," Iris said, her voice firmer but still calm, "You're alright. Tell Caitlin you're all set. You can do it."

He couldn't breathe and his head was spinning but his body felt strung so tight that he just wanted it all to be over, just wanted everything to be done so he shut his eyes tight and squeezed down hard on Iris's hand and nodded quickly.

There was a sharp pain and then a sweeping numbness that burned a little. He clenched down on his teeth and didn't say anything, breaths heaving his whole body in shudders.

"All done, Barry, that was great, we can start now," Caitlin said, and then carefully, "We have to cut away some dead tissue. It won't hurt, OK? You shouldn't feel anything, but if you do, just tell us and we'll stop, immediately, OK?"

Barry nodded, and on the other side Caitlin went to work, Cisco handing her tools when she needed them.

Barry, although he tried not to, seemed to tune in to his side, hypersensitivity setting in. At every twitch he jumped or cringed or jerked his hand.

"Barry," Cisco said, "I'm going to take your hand, alright, dude. I'm just going to hold it down so you don't jerk it upwards and end up cutting it on any of the tools. If something hurts, just say so and we'll stop."

Barry did not like that. He liked being able to move, and Cisco had one hand over his and the other clamped on his arm, Dr. Wells taking over and helping Caitlin, but Barry also was afraid of cutting himself so he didn't say anything, just tried to crush down the panic at the feeling of being restrained.

Just when he was starting to relax, he felt a sharp pain, and he jumped. "That hurt," he said immediately, his heart rate kicking up.

"OK," Caitlin said, "tell me if you feel this." There were a couple of pokes and Barry nodded his head, looking up to see Caitlin's reaction. "OK," she said, "The anesthetic wore off. I can give you another shot, or I can keep going. There's only a little bit left. It's your choice."

"Finish it," he said, bracing himself.

"You sure?" Caitlin said, "It's going to hurt. You can tell me if it's too much and you want the shot instead."

"Just do it," he said. The idea of another shot made him feel like he was going to throw up.

Caitlin kept going and Barry hissed and flinched a few times but it wasn't that bad – not nearly as bad as when he first came back from having been shot. The pain wasn't really the problem – it was the idea of them tearing and cutting into him that was anxiety provoking to him.

"OK," Caitlin said, "All done."

Cisco wheeled the curtain away and Barry finally relaxed, his shoulders going limp and leaning back against the bed, his eyes closed.

Dr. Wells handed Barry a glass of water and smiled and Iris didn't let go of his hand, even though they were done. Barry might have thought more on that if it weren't for the fact that he was still kind of terrified and he really wanted to go home now.

"Hey, Barry, we just need one more thing," Caitlin said, "We need another blood sample."

Barry felt like screaming.

"There might have been some, er, effects, from the uh cut that we were previously unaware of," Cisco chimed in.

Barry's eyes snapped up.

"Effects?"

"We don't know anything yet," Caitlin said, "it just um, occurred to Cisco that there might be some… minerals, in the uh metal that could be damaging to someone like you."

"You mean like because of the coma?" Iris asked, confused.

"Yeah," Caitlin said, "The coma."

"Not today," Barry said.

"It has to be today," Dr. Wells said, "It'll only take a moment."

Barry hit his head back against the bed and laid there, trying to stop his breath from shuddering and with his face screwed up. He was not going to cry now, not in front of all of them, not after all that. He was not going to cry.

"Barry?" Iris said, her voice impossibly gentle. "I'm gonna roll up your sleeve." He felt her fingers against his arm. He was exhausted and scared and he didn't want to do this. "And I'm just gonna hold your hand here," she said, placing her hand over his, "and Caitlin's going to do it now, OK?"

He couldn't breathe and he couldn't move but the world was spinning. Iris nodded at Caitlin and she brought the needle to his arm. He jerked away when she started and shuddered, then trembled, and didn't stop until she was done and he still had his eyes squeezed shut trying to breathe.

"Barry," Caitlin said, "You're all done now."

He couldn't talk because if he talked his voice would do that wavering stupid pathetic thing and he just wanted to sleep.

But he opened his eyes and didn't say anything and got up to go after a few moments, Iris's arm linked in his again, and he looked back at Caitlin and Cisco, who were smiling at him and taking his samples of blood to be tested. Tested for something. He turned back around, a sinking feeling in his gut.

More on the mysterious blood test next chapter! Tell me what you think and review! Might kick it up a little too and try something different. Hope you guys like it and any suggestions are always welcome!